Catchment News

Teagasc Signpost Series: ASSAP – Farming for Water Quality

This Teagasc webinar is all about ASSAP – the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme. ASSAP is working with farmers in Areas for Action around Ireland to help improve water quality.

Mark Gibson, Teagasc ConnectEd was joined by Joe Crockett, Dairy Sustainability Ireland to discuss policy drivers and whole industry collaboration and by Noel Meenhan, Teagasc who covered farm advisor engagement and farm specific plans. This was followed by a Questions and Answers session.

This is the 17th in a series of Sustainable Agriculture Webinars aimed at Irish Agri Professionals, which took place on Friday, 24th July 2020.

Learn more:

www.teagasc.ie/environment/climate-change/the-signpost-series-webinars/

www.teagasc.ie/environment/water-quality/farming-for-water-quality- assap/

www.teagasc.ie/publications/2020/assap-interim-report-1.php

www.catchments.ie/data/#/areaforaction

Who is involved?

Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

LAWCO

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

DECLG

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.